1930 24 Hours of Le Mans

The 1930 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 8th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on 21 and 22 June 1930. The pairing of Odette Siko and Marguerite Mareuse would go in history as the first women to compete and finish in the race.[1]

1.
24 Hours of Le Mans
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The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the worlds oldest active sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since 1923 near the town of Le Mans, France. It is one of the most prestigious races in the world and is often called the Grand Prix of Endurance. The event represents one leg of the Triple Crown of Motorsport, other events being the Indianapolis 500, since 2012, the 24 Hours of Le Mans has been a part of the FIA World Endurance Championship. In 2017, it will be the round of the season. The race has over the years inspired imitating races all over the globe, popularizing the 24-hour format at places like Daytona, Nürburgring, Spa-Francorchamps, and Bathurst. The American Le Mans Series and Europes Le Mans Series of multi-event sports car championships were spun off from 24 Hours of Le Mans regulations. At a time when Grand Prix motor racing was the dominant form of motorsport throughout Europe, Le Mans was designed to present a different test. Instead of focusing on the ability of a car company to build the fastest machines and this encouraged innovation in producing reliable and fuel-efficient vehicles, because endurance racing requires cars that last and spend as little time in the pits as possible. At the same time, the layout of the track necessitated cars with better aerodynamics, while this was shared with Grand Prix racing, few tracks in Europe had straights of a length comparable to the Mulsanne. Additionally, because the road is public and thus not as meticulously maintained as permanent racing circuits, racing puts more strain on the parts, increasing the importance of reliability. The oil crisis in the early 1970s led organizers to adopt a fuel economy formula known as Group C that limited the amount of each car was allowed. Although it was abandoned, fuel economy remains important as new fuel sources reduced time spent during pit stops. Such technological innovations have had an effect and can be incorporated into consumer cars. This has also led to faster and more exotic supercars as manufacturers seek to develop road cars in order to develop them into even faster GT cars. Additionally, in recent years hybrid systems have been championed in the LMP category as rules have changed to their benefit. The race is held in June, leading at times to very hot conditions for drivers, particularly in closed vehicles with poor ventilation, the race begins in mid-afternoon and finishes the following day at the same hour the race started the previous day. Over the 24 hours, modern competitors often cover distances well over 5,000 km, the record is 2010s 5,410 km, six times the length of the Indianapolis 500, or approximately 18 times longer than a Formula One Grand Prix. Drivers and racing teams strive for speed and avoiding damage, as well as managing the cars consumables, primarily fuel, tires

2.
List of 24 Hours of Le Mans winners
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The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the worlds oldest sports car endurance race and one of the most famous and influential in motorsports history. The overall winners of all events since 1923 are listed here, the race has been run every year since its inception with the exception of 1936, where the race was not run due to worker strikes, and 1940 to 1948, due to World War II. Records for wins are also listed, lower class wins are not included. 129 total drivers have won in the eighty-one runnings of the event

3.
United Kingdom
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The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom or Britain, is a sovereign country in western Europe. Lying off the north-western coast of the European mainland, the United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom that shares a land border with another sovereign state‍—‌the Republic of Ireland. The Irish Sea lies between Great Britain and Ireland, with an area of 242,500 square kilometres, the United Kingdom is the 78th-largest sovereign state in the world and the 11th-largest in Europe. It is also the 21st-most populous country, with an estimated 65.1 million inhabitants, together, this makes it the fourth-most densely populated country in the European Union. The United Kingdom is a monarchy with a parliamentary system of governance. The monarch is Queen Elizabeth II, who has reigned since 6 February 1952, other major urban areas in the United Kingdom include the regions of Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester. The United Kingdom consists of four countries—England, Scotland, Wales, the last three have devolved administrations, each with varying powers, based in their capitals, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, respectively. The relationships among the countries of the UK have changed over time, Wales was annexed by the Kingdom of England under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. A treaty between England and Scotland resulted in 1707 in a unified Kingdom of Great Britain, which merged in 1801 with the Kingdom of Ireland to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Five-sixths of Ireland seceded from the UK in 1922, leaving the present formulation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, there are fourteen British Overseas Territories. These are the remnants of the British Empire which, at its height in the 1920s, British influence can be observed in the language, culture and legal systems of many of its former colonies. The United Kingdom is a country and has the worlds fifth-largest economy by nominal GDP. The UK is considered to have an economy and is categorised as very high in the Human Development Index. It was the worlds first industrialised country and the worlds foremost power during the 19th, the UK remains a great power with considerable economic, cultural, military, scientific and political influence internationally. It is a nuclear weapons state and its military expenditure ranks fourth or fifth in the world. The UK has been a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council since its first session in 1946 and it has been a leading member state of the EU and its predecessor, the European Economic Community, since 1973. However, on 23 June 2016, a referendum on the UKs membership of the EU resulted in a decision to leave. The Acts of Union 1800 united the Kingdom of Great Britain, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have devolved self-government

4.
Bentley
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Bentley Motors Limited is a British manufacturer and marketer of luxury cars and SUVs—and a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG since 1998. The joining and eventual separation of Bentley and Rolls-Royce follows a series of mergers and acquisitions, beginning with the 1931 purchase by Rolls-Royce of Bentley, Rolls-Royce Motors was subsequently sold to engineering conglomerate, Vickers and in 1998, Vickers sold Rolls-Royce to Volkswagen AG. The aerospace company, Rolls-Royce Plc, ultimately sold both to BMW AG, at the DFP factory, in 1913, he noticed an aluminum paperweight and thought that aluminum might be a suitable replacement for cast iron to fabricate lighter pistons. The first Bentley aluminum pistons were fitted to Sopwith Camel aero engines during World War I, in August 1919, W. O. registered Bentley Motors Ltd. and in October he exhibited a car chassis, with dummy engine, at the London Motor Show. Ex–Royal Flying Corps officer Clive Gallop designed an innovative 4 valves per cylinder engine for the chassis, by December the engine was built and running. Delivery of the first cars was scheduled for June 1920, the durability of the first Bentley cars earned widespread acclaim and they competed in hill climbs and raced at Brooklands. Bentleys first major event was the 1922 Indianapolis 500, a race dominated by specialized cars with Duesenberg racing chassis and they entered a modified road car driven by works driver, Douglas Hawkes, accompanied by riding mechanic, H. S. Bertie Browning. Hawkes completed the full 500 miles and finished 13th with an speed of 74.95 mph after starting in 19th position. The team was rushed back to England to compete in the 1922 RAC Tourist Trophy. In ironic reference to his heavyweight boxers stature, Captain Woolf Barnato was nicknamed Babe, in 1925, he acquired his first Bentley, a 3-litre. With this car he won numerous Brooklands races, just a year later he acquired the Bentley business itself. The Bentley enterprise was always underfunded, but inspired by the 1924 Le Mans win by John Duff and Frank Clement, Barnato had incorporated Baromans Ltd in 1922, which existed as his finance and investment vehicle. Via Baromans, Barnato initially invested in excess of £100,000, saving the business, a financial reorganisation of the original Bentley company was carried out and all existing creditors paid off for £75,000. Existing shares were devalued from £1 each to just 1 shilling, Barnato held 149,500 of the new shares giving him control of the company and he became chairman. Barnato injected further cash into the business, £35,000 secured by debenture in July 1927, £40,000 in 1928, with renewed financial input, W. O. Bentley was able to design another generation of cars. The Bentley Boys were a group of British motoring enthusiasts that included Woolf Barnato, Sir Henry Tim Birkin, steeple chaser George Duller, aviator Glen Kidston, sammy Davis, and Dr Dudley Benjafield. The Bentley Boys, favored Bentley cars, many were independently wealthy and often had a military background. They kept the reputation for high performance alive, Bentley was noted for its four consecutive victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans from 1927 to 1930

5.
Woolf Barnato
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Joel Woolf Barnato was a British financier and racing driver, one of the Bentley Boys of the 1920s. He achieved three wins out of three entries in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race. The youngest son of Fanny Bees and Barney Barnato, who had made a fortune as a Randlord in South African diamond and gold mining, born at Spencer House,27 St Jamess Place, London, he had a sister Leah Primrose and brother Isaac Jack Henry. The family divided their time between London, Brighton, Colwyn Bay and South Africa, in 1897, when Woolf two years old, his father died near Madeira during a sea crossing from South Africa to London. Woolf hence inherited his fathers fortune at the time, but with the placed in trust, he only inherited his first instalment of £250,000. In addition, Woolf also benefited from an inheritance after the murder of Woolf Barnato Joel in Johannesburg in 1898. Barnato was educated at Charterhouse School and Trinity College, Cambridge, Barnatos attitude to a new sport that took his interests, was to immerse himself in the learning process, practising endlessly and taking lessons only from the very best instructors he could find. His desire to excel at whatever he attempted was considerable and he collected prizes for motor boat racing, using his Bentley-powered boat Ardenrun V, a good amateur boxer and a keen shot. He bred horses whilst at his house Ardenrun, and hunted with the Old Surrey, a strong swimmer, he played tennis to country house level. He also took lessons at Coombe Hill Golf Club, Kingston, Surrey, with the club professional Archie Compston, Barnato served as an officer in the Royal Field Artillery, British Army in World War I. Serving in France, Egypt and Palestine, he attained the rank of Captain in the stages of the war. Having claimed a share of the profits from 1897 to 1916. After a long dispute in South Africa, Woolf settled for £900,000 plus £50,000 in costs. He then sued his family for the £50,000, as well as £23,883 for disbursements, following settlement of the case, Barnato played first-class cricket, appearing as wicket-keeper with Surrey County Cricket Club from 1928 to 1930. Barnato acquired his first Bentley in 1925, just 12 months before he acquired the business itself. With this car he won numerous Brooklands races and he was a member of a social set of wealthy British motorists known as the Bentley Boys who favoured the cars of W. O. Bentley. Many were independently wealthy, often with a background in military service, Barnato was nicknamed Babe, in ironic deference to his heavyweight boxers build. Inspired by the 1924 Le Mans win by John Duff and Frank Clement, Barnato had incorporated Baromans Ltd in 1922, which effectively existed as his finance and investment vehicle

6.
Glen Kidston
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George Pearson Glen Kidston was an English record-breaking aviator and motor racing driver. Kidston was a member of the well-known Bentley Boys of the late 1920s, Kidston was one of the four, core Grosvenor Square-based Bentley team drivers, whose day-long parties passed into contemporary legend. A Lieutenant Commander in the Royal Navy, he was torpedoed twice in the morning during the action of 22 September 1914 against German submarine U-9 under the command of Commander Otto Weddigen. Following repatriation he served in the dreadnought HMS Orion, with the British Grand Fleet at the Battle of Jutland, Kidston served on several leading-edge British submarines, including the notorious X1, which he served on in North Sea trials. During the trials the X1 embedded itself in the seabed as its gauges were faulty, in December 1926 he received command of an H-class submarine, the Beardmore-built H24, built at Portsmouth. Away from his duties as a submariner, he was a pioneer of naval flight. Glen Kidston competed in motor races including the Monte Carlo Rally, Isle of Man TT motorcycle races. Kidston entered the 1929 Irish Grand Prix Éireann Cup at Phoenix Park but was beaten by the Alfa Romeo of former Russian Imperial Guard officer Boris Ivanowski. This was achieved at the expense of Britons Glen Kidston and Henry Birkin, whose Bentleys were second and he also owned and raced the first Bugatti in the UK and entered the Le Mans 24-hour race in 1929 and 1930. On the second occasion he won the race, driving a Bentley Speed Six in partnership with Woolf Barnato, in 1929 Kidston was travelling from Croydon to Amsterdam in a German airliner. 21 mins into the flight he sensed an imminent crash and assumed the safety position, on impact, Kidston kicked out the fuselage whilst alight all over and doused himself in the wet grass. He re-entered the burning wreckage to save the badly burned Prince who subsequently died, Kidston fought through a mile of woodland at night to summon help. As he flagged a motorist down, his clothes were still smoking and he was then hospitalised with extensive burns. Kidston was a big game shot and travelled on pioneering safaris in remote Kenyan districts. Films of these expeditions, of his naval and other aviation and Bentley teamwork are held at the British Film Institute due to their quality. In April 1931, Kidston completed a record breaking flight from Netheravon, Wiltshire to Cape Town and he completed the journey in just 6½ days, flying his own specially adapted Lockheed Vega monoplane and averaging 131 mph. However, Kidston was never to make the return trip, a memorial to him, an aluminium propellor set in stone, stands at the crash site. His gravestone at St. Peters in Glasbury-upon-Wye on the Welsh borders, his home, reads Time and tide wait for no man

7.
Bentley Speed Six
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The regular Bentley 6½ Litre and the high-performance Bentley Speed Six were sports and luxury cars based on Bentley rolling chassis in production from 1926 to 1930. The Speed Six, introduced in 1928, would become the most successful racing Bentley, two Bentley Speed Sixes became known as the Blue Train Bentleys after their owner Woolf Barnatos involvement in the Blue Train Races of 1930. By 1924, Bentley decided to build a larger chassis than the 3 Litre, with a smoother, Bentley built a development mule with a 4¼ L straight-six engine derived from the 3 Litres four cylinder engine. To disguise the origin, it had a large, wedge-shaped radiator and was registered as a Sun. The car had a large Weymann-type tourer body built by Freestone, W. O. Bentley combined one of his road tests of the Sun with a trip to see the 1924 French Grand Prix in Lyon. On his return trip to the ferry at Dieppe, W. O. encountered another disguised car at a three-way junction, W. O. and the Rolls-Royce test driver recognized each other and began racing each other along the routes nationale. This street race continued until the Rolls-Royce drivers hat blew off, the Suns tyres were heavily worn when W. O. got to the ferry at Dieppe. With a 140 mm stroke, the engine had a displacement of 6. In base form, with a single Smiths 5-jet carburettor, twin ignition magnetos, and a ratio of 4.4,1. Although based on the 3 Litres engine, the 6½ engine incorporated many improvements, the 3 Litres cone-type clutch was replaced by a dry-plate design that incorporated a clutch brake for fast gear changes, and the car had power-assisted four-wheel brakes with finned drums. The front brakes had 4 leading shoes per drum, by operating a patented compensating device, the driver could adjust all four brakes to correct for wear while the car was moving, which was particularly advantageous during races. A large variety of wheelbases were produced for such a low-production car, the most popular wheelbase was 150 inches. The Bentley Speed Six was introduced in 1928 as a sporting version of the Bentley 6½ Litre. With a single-port block, two SU carburettors, a high-performance camshaft, and a ratio of 5.3,1. The Speed Six was available to customers with wheelbases of 138 inches,140.5 inches, the model was available as a road car for everyday use. In March 1930, Barnato raced against the Blue Train in a Speed Six with H. J. Mulliner saloon coachwork, reaching his club in London before the train was due in the station at Calais. It had generally believed that the car in the race was a Gurney Nutting Sportsman Coupé. The racing version of the Speed Six had a wheelbase of 11 feet, successful in racing, these cars won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1929 and 1930 with Bentley Boys drivers Tim Birkin, Glen Kidston, and Woolf Barnato, the Chairman of Bentley Motors

8.
Frank Clement (racing driver)
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Frank Charles Clement was a British racing driver who, along with Canadian John Duff, won the 192424 Hours of Le Mans. Part of the Bentley Boys, Clement was recruited by W. O, Bentley as a test driver for Bentley Motors. He was chosen by the company to drive in the inaugural 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1923 with John Duff in Duffs privately entered car. The only British team in the event, the finished the race in fourth after fighting for the lead for much of the race. The following year Duff returned with his private Bentley and the two won the race outright over several Lorraine-Dietrichs and Chenard-Walckers. In a bid to win the Rudge-Whitworth Triennial Cup, the two remained paired in 1925, and Bentley offered more support by adding a second car to the team. However, their car would fail halfway through the event and would not be able to finish, Bentley improved to a three car team for 1926, and Clement was assigned to co-drive with George Duller, although once again the car was not able to finish. Over the next two years, although Bentley won Le Mans two more times, Clements car still was unable to finish the endurance event, in 1929 Clement once again was able to last the entire event as Bentley dominated, earning the top four finishing positions. Clement ran his final Le Mans in 1930, finishing in second place, before Bentley chose not to continue at Le Mans the following year

9.
Talbot
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Talbot or Clément-Talbot Limited was a London automobile manufacturer founded in 1903. Clément-Talbots products were named just Talbot from shortly after introduction but the business did remain Clément-Talbot Limited until 1938 when it was renamed Sunbeam-Talbot Limited, both men, Chetwynd-Talbot and Clément-Bayard, reduced their financial interests in their Clément-Talbot business during the First World War. Soon after the end of the war Clément-Talbot was brought into a combine named S T D Motors, shortly afterwards S T D Motors French products were renamed Talbot instead of Darracq. In the mid 1930s Rootes bought the London Talbot factory and Antonio Lago bought the Paris Talbot factory, then Lago used Talbot or Talbot-Lago in Paris. In 1938 Rootes renamed Clément-Talbot Limited Sunbeam-Talbot Limited, Rootes stopped using the brand name Talbot in the mid-1950s, the Paris factory closed a few years later. The marque came by a series of takeovers to Peugeot S. A. which revived use of the Talbot name from 1978 until 1994. In December 1919 A Darracq and Company Limited of London with its factory in Suresnes, Paris, bought the entire capital of Clément-Talbot and later bought Sunbeam and those initials referred to Sunbeam, Talbot and Darracq. But in the depth of the Great Depression S T D Motors became unable to pay its debts and its subsidiaries managed to find buyers and in 1936 S T D Motors ceased to exist. Clément-Talbot continued to be famous for the design and quality of its products, Clément-Talbot was bought by Rootes Group and later renamed Sunbeam-Talbot. Then Sunbeam alone twenty years after that, in 1920 Suresnes products were branded Talbot-Darracq but the word Darracq was dropped in 1922. Following the financial collapse of S T D Motors and Pariss Automobiles Talbot Antonio Lago, Antonio Lago involved Talbot in sports car and Grand Prix racing as well as producing high quality luxury cars. In the postwar world of austerity and socialism the French government introduced punitive annual taxation on cars with larger than 2. 6-litres. Lago continued the Talbot business until 1958 when the doors were closed. The dormant Talbot marque was sold to Simca, Simca was bought by Chrysler Europe in 1970. PSA Peugeot Citroën acquired the still dormant Talbot marque when it bought Chrysler in 1978, with mounting pressure on its core North American business, the decision was taken by Chryslers then CEO Lee Iacocca to offload the ailing European operations. The French Government persuaded both Renault and PSA Peugeot Citroën to bid for the company, as it was keen to keep Simca in domestic ownership. In August 1978, PSA purchased Chrysler Europe for a nominal $1, the Peugeot takeover saw the end of the Rootes Chrysler Hunter production, but the Simca-designed 1510, and Horizon continued as Talbots. All former Chrysler products registered in Britain after 1 August 1979 bore the Talbot badge, the entry-level model in the Talbot range from 1982 onwards would be the Talbot Samba, a three-door hatchback based on the Peugeot 104

10.
Johnny Hindmarsh
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John Stuart Hindmarsh, also known as Johnny Hindmarsh, was an English racecar driver and aviator. Hindmarsh was educated at Sherborne, Dorset and then attended the Royal Military College and he joined the Royal Army Tank Corps in 1928, then in 1930 learned to fly with the Royal Air Force. Hindmarsh also raced Talbot and Lagonda cars, he won the Le Mans 24-Hour Race in 1935 in a 4½ litre Lagonda M45R Rapide with Luis Fontés, widowed in 1938, Cordery retired from public life until her death on 30 December 1983 in Oxshott, Surrey

11.
Francis Curzon, 5th Earl Howe
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Francis Richard Henry Penn Curzon, 5th Earl Howe, CBE, RD, PC, styled as Viscount Curzon from 1900 to 1929, was a British naval officer, Member of Parliament, and motor racing driver and promotor. In the 1918 UK General Election he won the Battersea South seat as the candidate of the Conservative Party, while in Parliament he took up motor racing, and later won the 193124 Hours of Le Mans race. He ascended to the Peerage in 1929, succeeding his father as the 5th Earl Howe, Earl Howe co-founded the British Racing Drivers Club with Dudley Benjafield in 1928, and served as its President until his death in 1964. Francis, Viscount Curzon, joined the Royal Navy after leaving school, when World War I started the RNVR was formed into the Royal Naval Division and they were to fight on land like infantrymen not sailors. Hon. Viscount Curzon served as Battalion Commander, Howe Battalion of the 2nd Brigade RND. Howe Battalion saw action at Gallipoli, April 1915 – January 1916, Mudros and Stavros, Salonica, January - May 1916, France and Belgium, May 1916 - February 1918, during part of this period Curzon also served as aide-de-camp to George V. Following the armistice Viscount Curzon moved into politics, in the 1918 General Election he won the Battersea South seat, standing for the Conservative Party. Following his fathers death in 1929 Francis Curzon ascended to the title Earl Howe and he was appointed a Privy Counsellor in the 1929 Dissolution Honours. However, during his years as an MP Curzon had begun to become involved in motor racing. An associate of the infamous Bentley Boys, he was instrumental in forming the ideas which led Dudley Benjafield to set up the British Racing Drivers Club in 1928, the newly ennobled Earl Howe was elected its President at the BRDCs first Annual General Meeting in 1929. Francis Curzon made his debut at the comparatively old age of 44. After leaving the House of Commons he pursued his career with increasing vigour. During the 1930s he became a known driver, competing in many national and international races. He entered the endurance classic six times between 1929 and 1935, only missing the 1933 event, for the first year he was entered as a part of the Bentley factory team, but latterly he entered his own cars. It was in his own Alfa Romeo 8C that he won the race in 1931, away from La Sarthe, Earl Howe drove in a variety of automobiles. Indeed, in the mid-1930s he was credited by Time magazine as having Europes most elaborate collection of racing cars and he favored the Bugatti marque, owning and campaigning several Bugattis. He won the Donington Park Trophy race in 1933, and added to his victory haul with a win in the 1938 Grosvenor Grand Prix, at Cape Town in South Africa. R. Aside from assuming the Presidency of the BRDC, Earl Howe also served as Vice-President of the FIAs Commission Sportive Internationale and he also kept motorsport issues on the political landscape, with numerous speeches in the House of Lords

12.
Alfa Romeo 6C
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The Alfa Romeo 6C name was used on road, race, and sports cars produced between 1927 and 1954 by Alfa Romeo, the 6C name refers to six cylinders of the cars straight-six engine. Bodies for these cars were made by such as James Young, Zagato, Touring, Castagna. Starting from 1933 there was also a 6C version with a factory Alfa body, in the early 1920s Vittorio Jano got a task to create a lightweight, high performance vehicle to replace the Giuseppe Merosi designed RL and RM models. The car was introduced in April 1925 at the Salone dell’ Automobile di Milano as the 6C1500, in the mid-1920s, Alfas RL was considered too large and heavy, so a new development began. The 2-liter formula that had led to Alfa Romeo winning the Automobile World Championship in 1925, the 6C1500 was introduced in 1925 at the Milan Motor Show, production started 1927, with the P2 Grand Prix car as starting point. Engine capacity was now 1487 cc, against the P2s 1987 cc, first versions were bodied by Young and Touring. In 1928, a 6C Sport was released, with a dual overhead camshafts engine and its sport version won many races, including the 1928 Mille Miglia. Ten copies of a supercharged Super Sport variant were also made, the more powerful 6C1750 was introduced in 1929 in Rome. The car featured a top speed of 95 mph, a designed to flex and undulate over wavy surfaces. It was produced in six series between 1929 and 1933, base model had a single overhead cam, Super Sport and Gran Sport versions had double overhead cam engine. Most of the cars were sold as rolling chassis and bodied by coachbuilders such as Zagato, and Touring. The Alfa Romeo 6C1900 was the last derivative of the original 6C1500, produced in 197 examples during 1933, only made in Gran Turismo guise with a 2,920 mm wheelbase, the 6C1900 replaced the corresponding 6C1750 model. Besides the larger displacement, other notable changes were aluminium cylinder heads, an improved frame. The same upgrades were applied to the 1933 model 6C1750 Gran Sport, Alfa Romeo offered the 6C1900 with an in-house 4-door saloon body, while bespoke coachbuilt body styles included 4-seat cabriolets. The double overhead camshaft, naturally aspirated engine was bored from 66 mm to 68 mm. For the first time on a 6C the cylinder head was aluminium, with 68 bhp at 4,500 rpm the 6C1900 could achieve a top speed of 130 km/h. The improved frame consisted of fully boxed rails and crossmembers, instead of the 1750s C-shaped sections, a new four-speed gearbox was fitted, with synchromesh on the two top gears and a freewheel mechanism. The 6C2300 was designed by Vittorio Jano as a lower-cost alternative to the 8C, in 1934 Alfa Romeo had become a state-owned enterprise

13.
Alfa Romeo in motorsport
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During its history, Alfa Romeo has competed successfully in many different categories of motorsport, including Grand Prix motor racing, Formula One, sportscar racing, touring car racing and rallies. They have competed both as a constructor and a supplier, via works entries and private entries. The first racing car was made in 1913, three years after the foundation of A. L. F. A, the 40-60HP had 6 liter straight-4 engine. Alfa Romeo quickly gained a name in motorsport and gave a sporty image to the whole marque. Alfa Romeo started motor racing almost immediately after it was founded, ventured into motor racing in 1911, with drivers Franchini and Ronzoni competing in the Targa Florio with two 24 HP models. The marques first success came in 1913 when Nino Franchini finished second in Parma-Poggio Berceto race with a 40-60HP, Giuseppe Merosi built a very advanced racing car in 1914, which was named Grand Prix. In 1920 Giuseppe Campari won the race at Mugello with a 40-60HP, a year later Giuseppe Campari won at Mugello again. Ugo Sivocci won the 1923 Targa Florio with an RL and Antonio Ascari took second, sivoccis car was painted with the green cloverleaf on a white background that was to become Alfas good luck token. In 1923 Vittorio Jano was lured to Alfa from Fiat, designing the motors that gave Alfa racing success into the late 1930s, in 1925 Alfa Romeo won the first Automobile World Championship in the history of automobile racing. Over 4 rounds the Alfa Romeo P2 won the European Grand Prix at Spa and the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, and hence incorporated the laurel wreath in their logo. For 1932 Jano produced the sensational P3 which won its first race driven by Tazio Nuvolari at the Italian Grand Prix,5 more Grands Prix that year were shared by Nuvolari and Rudolf Caracciola. Alfa Corse closed for 1933 and locked the cars in the factory, P3s then won six of the final 11 events of the season including the final 2 major Grands Prix in Italy and Spain. In 1934 Louis Chiron won the French Grand Prix in the P3 whilst the German Silver Arrows dominated the other 4 championship events, however the P3s won 18 of the 35 Grands Prix held throughout Europe. The P3 managed 16 victories in 1935, in the 1930s Tazio Nuvolari won the Mille Miglia in a 6C1750, crossing the finishing line after having incredibly overtaken Achille Varzi without lights. Alfa Romeos won the Targa Florio six times in row in the 1930s, and the Mille Miglia every year from 1928 to 1938 except for 1931. In 1935 Alfa Romeo won the German Grand Prix with Nuvolari, in 1938 Biondetti won the Mille Miglia in an 8C 2900B Corto Spider, thereafter referred to as the Mille Miglia model. Alfa Romeo participated in Formula One, both as a constructor and engine supplier, from 1950 to 1988. The works Alfa Romeo team dominated the first two years of the Formula One World Championship, using the pre-war Alfetta, but withdrew from Formula One at the end of 1951

14.
Lea-Francis
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Lea-Francis is a motor manufacturing company that began by building bicycles. Richard Henry Lea and Graham Inglesby Francis started the business in Coventry in 1895 and they branched out into car manufacture in 1903 and motorcycles in 1911. Lea-Francis built cars under licence for the Singer company, in 1919 they started to build their own cars from bought-in components. From 1922 Lea-Francis had a tie up with Vulcan of Southport sharing manufacturing, Vulcan supplied bodies to Lea-Francis and in return got gearboxes and steering gear. Two six-cylinder Vulcan designed cars were marketed as Lea-Francis 14/40 and 16/60 as well as Vulcans, the association finished in 1928 when Vulcan stopped making cars. A sporting image began to appear from about 1925, leading to such as the Hyper. The race was watched by a record 250,000 spectators, the 12 hp and the 14 hp were introduced in 1937 and continued until the start of the war in 1939 when production ceased and the factory concentrated on manufacturing for the war effort. Post-war car production commenced in 1946 with updated vehicles based on the pre-war designs, the 14hp Saloon and Sports were luxurious and sporty vehicles, and were popular, if expensive. Production once again came to a halt in 1954, after not having been present at Earls Court since 1952, a number of 14hp Sports chassis were sold to Connaught Engineering where they became the L2 and L3 sports-racing cars. Connaught developed a Formula 2 racing engine for their A type single seater which was based on the Lea-Francis design, the company had a chequered history with some notable motorcycles and cars but financial difficulties regularly arising. The Hillfields site was abandoned in 1937 when it was sold by the receiver and it survived there until 1962 when the company was finally wound up. A total of almost 10,000 Lea-Francis vehicles were made until production ceased due to the 1960 Lea-Francis Lynxs failing to capture the publics attention. Only three Lynxes were made, all prototypes and this was a tube framed 2+2 roadster with a Ford Zephyr 2.6 litre inline-six engine. The example displayed at the October 1960 British Motor show was famously painted in mauve with gold trim, the motor manufacturing parts of the company passed into the hands of the receiver in 1962, leaving Lea-Francis to continue with their engineering business. The assets of the company were purchased by Quinton Hazell Ltd. a component manufacturer, Price has continued to provide service and spares for the surviving cars, and has also built a number of retro Lea-Francis motor cars reviving the model name Ace of Spades. These two-seat coupes have Jaguar engines, only a prototype was built before the project had to be abandoned. The Lea-Francis Owners Club has a growing membership of around 340 members who own around 420 vehicles. Notes Sources The Lea Francis Story by Barrie Price, Veloce Publishing,1998 ISBN 1-901295-01-X Lea Francis Owners Club website

15.
Henry Meadows
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Henry Meadows, usually known simply as Meadows, of Wolverhampton, England were major suppliers of engines and transmissions, to the smaller companies in the British motor industry. Founded in 1920 in Park Lane, Wolverhampton, as a car maker, they expanded into petrol engines in 1922 and in the 1930s built a large factory in Fallings Park. Early production was connected with the move from W. H. Dorman & Co of the Dorman works manager in August 1921, Dorman had been producing engines from 1903. The early Meadows engines and gearboxes were produced with Meadows-Dorman on the castings and this resulted in a court case between Dorman and Meadows, claiming that this was a misuse of the Dorman name and reputation. Dorman won the case One of the most popular petrol engines was the 1½-litre four-cylinder Type 4ED engine, widely used by Frazer Nash and Lea-Francis during the 1920s and 30s, Light car from 1936 to 1939 which was sold with a guaranteed top speed of 90 mph. Another successful product, the 4½-litre 6-cylinder engine is best remembered as the unit for Invicta. In the 1930s Meadows developed a flat-12 type-MAT/1 engine of 8858cc for military applications including the Tetrarch Light Tank, the later, and widely used, A22 Churchill tank was a development of the A20. This engine was more powerful, but only to a rated 350 bhp. The Guy Armoured Car, made in 1939–1940, used the Meadows 4-cylinder 4-ELA petrol engine, Meadows also made the 600 bhp Rolls-Royce Meteor V-12 petrol tank engine from 1944. Meadows was already involved with the Ministry of Supply, so they were brought in from 1944 to manufacture Meteor engines to cover the shortfall, the Rover Company also produced Meteor engines in this period. Meadows started developing diesel engines in the 1930s, and a 5-litre 4-cylinder diesel developing 75 bhp at 2000rpm was launched at the 1935 Olympia Motor Transport Show and they introduced a 6-cylinder 100 bhp version in 1938. Both of these used a Lanova combustion chamber design, CAV injector pumps. In 1938 they supplied diesel engines for the New Zealand Railways Standard class railcars, after World War II they resumed making diesel engines, but with a completely new design this time with direct injection and toroidal cavity pistons. The 6.9 litre 4-cylinder unit gave 85 bhp at 1800rpm, and these were aimed at both vehicle, marine, and stationary markets, and there was a horizontal version of the 6-cylinder unit for flat underfloor mounting. The same two engines were rated at 60 and 90 bhp for continuous use at 1600rpm. One of the features of these engies is the ability to swap the utilities from side to side and from end to end. For marine use helical gears of different ratios, and epicyclic reversing gears were also available. Many engines were supplied to their neighbour in Fallings Park, Guy Motors for use in their buses, a small number of diesel engines was supplied for British Rail Railbuses in 1958

16.
France
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France, officially the French Republic, is a country with territory in western Europe and several overseas regions and territories. The European, or metropolitan, area of France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, Overseas France include French Guiana on the South American continent and several island territories in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. France spans 643,801 square kilometres and had a population of almost 67 million people as of January 2017. It is a unitary republic with the capital in Paris. Other major urban centres include Marseille, Lyon, Lille, Nice, Toulouse, during the Iron Age, what is now metropolitan France was inhabited by the Gauls, a Celtic people. The area was annexed in 51 BC by Rome, which held Gaul until 486, France emerged as a major European power in the Late Middle Ages, with its victory in the Hundred Years War strengthening state-building and political centralisation. During the Renaissance, French culture flourished and a colonial empire was established. The 16th century was dominated by civil wars between Catholics and Protestants. France became Europes dominant cultural, political, and military power under Louis XIV, in the 19th century Napoleon took power and established the First French Empire, whose subsequent Napoleonic Wars shaped the course of continental Europe. Following the collapse of the Empire, France endured a succession of governments culminating with the establishment of the French Third Republic in 1870. Following liberation in 1944, a Fourth Republic was established and later dissolved in the course of the Algerian War, the Fifth Republic, led by Charles de Gaulle, was formed in 1958 and remains to this day. Algeria and nearly all the colonies became independent in the 1960s with minimal controversy and typically retained close economic. France has long been a centre of art, science. It hosts Europes fourth-largest number of cultural UNESCO World Heritage Sites and receives around 83 million foreign tourists annually, France is a developed country with the worlds sixth-largest economy by nominal GDP and ninth-largest by purchasing power parity. In terms of household wealth, it ranks fourth in the world. France performs well in international rankings of education, health care, life expectancy, France remains a great power in the world, being one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council with the power to veto and an official nuclear-weapon state. It is a member state of the European Union and the Eurozone. It is also a member of the Group of 7, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the World Trade Organization, originally applied to the whole Frankish Empire, the name France comes from the Latin Francia, or country of the Franks

17.
Bugatti Type 40
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The early Bugatti 8-cylinder line began with the 1922 Type 30. The same basic design was used for the 1926 Type 38 as well as the Type 40, Type 43, Type 44, produced from 1922 through 1926, the Type 30 used the 2 L engine of the Type 29 racer. It shared its chassis with the Type 13 Brescia and this engine went on to be used in the cut-cost Type 35A and Type 38. About 600 were built from late 1922 through 1926 in varying specifications, the Type 38 was produced in 1926 and 1927. It used the 2 L engine from the Type 35A Tecla, the supercharger from the Type 37A was later fitted, making the Type 38A. Its gearbox and brakes were used in the Type 40, while its radiator. 385 examples were produced,39 of which were supercharged 38As, the Type 40, introduced in 1926 and produced through 1930, used the 3-valve 1.5 L engine first used in some Type 37s. It was an enclosed tourer or small roadster, the Type 40A shared its block with the Type 40 and displaced 1.6 L. All 40 Type 40As were built in 1930, another evolution of the basic 8 platform, the Type 43 borrowed the supercharged 2.3 L engine from the Type 35B and combined it with the basic chassis of the Type 38. The engine produced about 120 hp, bringing the car to 60 mph in less than 12 seconds. The Type 43 was noted at the time as the worlds first 100 mph production car — in fact,160 of these Grand Sport cars were made from 1927 through 1931, with a Type 43A roadster appearing that year and lasting through 1932. The Type 44 was the variant of this range, with 1,095 known. A larger and sometimes enclosed tourer, it used a new 3-valve SOHC3 L engine derived from the Type 43s unit and it was built from late 1927 through 1930. The Bugatti Type 49 was a touring car similar to the earlier Type 44. Produced from 1930 through 1934, about 470 examples were built, the Type 49 was the last of the early 8-cylinder Bugatti line which began with the Type 30, though its gearbox would later be reused on the Type 55. The Type 49 featured an engine of 3.3 L displacement. Bore and stroke were 72 mm by 100 mm and three valves per cylinder were used with an overhead camshaft. The Illustrated Directory of Sports Cars, super Cars, Classics of Their Time

18.
Bugatti
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Automobiles Ettore Bugatti was a French car manufacturer of high-performance automobiles, founded in 1909 in the then German city of Molsheim, Alsace by Italian-born Ettore Bugatti. Bugatti cars were known for their beauty and for their many race victories. Famous Bugattis include the Type 35 Grand Prix cars, the Type 41 Royale, the Type 57 Atlantic and the Type 55 sports car. The death of Ettore Bugatti in 1947 proved to be the end for the marque, no more than about 8,000 cars were made. The company struggled financially, and released one last model in the 1950s, in the 1990s, an Italian entrepreneur revived it as a builder of limited production exclusive sports cars. Today, the name is owned by German automobile manufacturing group Volkswagen, the company was known both for the level of detail of its engineering in its automobiles, and for the artistic manner in which the designs were executed, given the artistic nature of Ettores family. During the war Ettore Bugatti was sent away, initially to Milan and later to Paris and he exhibited three light cars, all of them closely based on their pre-war equivalents, and each fitted with the same overhead camshaft 4-cylinder 1, 368cc engine with four valves per cylinder. Smallest of the three was a Type 13 with a body and using a chassis with a 2,000 mm wheelbase. The others were a Type 22 and a Type 23 with wheelbases of 2,250 and 2,400 mm respectively, the company also enjoyed great success in early Grand Prix motor racing, in 1929 a privately entered Bugatti won the first ever Monaco Grand Prix. Racing success culminated with driver Jean-Pierre Wimille winning the 24 hours of Le Mans twice, Bugatti cars were extremely successful in racing. The little Bugatti Type 10 swept the top four positions at its first race, the 1924 Bugatti Type 35 is probably the most successful racing car of all time, with over 2,000 wins. The Type 35 was developed by Bugatti with master engineer and racing driver Jean Chassagne who also drove it in the car’s first ever Grand Prix in 1924 Lyon, Bugattis swept to victory in the Targa Florio for five years straight from 1925 through 1929. Louis Chiron held the most podiums in Bugatti cars, and the modern marque revival Bugatti Automobiles S. A. S. named the 1999 Bugatti 18/3 Chiron concept car in his honour. But it was the racing success at Le Mans that is most remembered—Jean-Pierre Wimille and Pierre Veyron won the 1939 race with just one car. In the 1930s, Ettore Bugatti got involved in the creation of a racer airplane and this would be the Bugatti 100P, which never flew. It was designed by Belgian engineer Louis de Monge who had already applied Bugatti Brescia engines in his Type 7.5 lifting body, Ettore Bugatti also designed a successful motorised railcar, the Autorail Bugatti. The death of Ettore Bugattis son, Jean Bugatti, on 11 August 1939 marked a point in the companys fortunes. Jean died while testing a Type 57 tank-bodied race car near the Molsheim factory, World War II left the Molsheim factory in ruins and the company lost control of the property

19.
Tracta
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Tracta was a French car maker based in Asnières, Seine, that was active between 1926 and 1934. They were pioneers of front-wheel-drive vehicles, the business was directed and cars were designed by the engineer Jean-Albert Grégoire, who controlled the business, with financial support from his friend Pierre Fenaille. The cars were built in small numbers for competition use. 1100,1200,1500 and 1600 cc engines made by S. C. A. P, were available with optional Cozette supercharger. The 1500 cc car was claimed to reach 80 mph, the first cars were made in a workshop in Versailles but Grégoire soon moved to a small factory in Asnières. Three cars competed in the 1928 Le Mans 24 Hour race, all three finished, albeit well down the field. Tracta returned to Le Mans in 1929, now with four cars, only two of the Tractas competing in 1929 completed the race, the two-stroke experimental car retiring after 43 laps. By 1930 only two Tractas appeared a Le Mans, but they did both finish, the company failed to make money from car manufacture and production stopped in 1934. Grégoire kept the factory at Asnières and used it for his own design, in 1955 Grégoire introduced an intriguing Sports Cabriolet prototype, with body by Chapron, front-drive and a 2188 cc supercharged ohv boxer engine ahead of the front wheels. In mechanical terms the car was based on the car Grégoire had developed for Hotchkiss in the late 1940s. It is not clear how seriously Grégoire contemplated selling the Sports Cabriolets exhibited in the 1950s, the car is generally described as the Grégoire Sports Cabriolet. Nevertheless, Grégoire had retained rights to the Tracta name. The car was listed by the manufacturer in 1956 at an eye-watering 3,500,000 francs, or rather more than the 2,869,000 francs quoted at the time for the much larger and more powerful Facel Vega FVS

20.
Dorothy Paget
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Dorothy Wyndham Paget was a British racehorse owner and sponsor of motor racing. Paget was the daughter of Lord Queenborough and Pauline Payne Whitney of the American Whitney family and she was a cousin of Jock Whitney, owner of the dual Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Easter Hero and latterly American Ambassador in London, and granddaughter of William C. Whitney, a wealthy American businessman, politician and racehorse owner, Paget was educated at Heathfield School, Ascot, Berkshire. She lived for the most part in Hermits Wood, Nightingales Lane, Chalfont St. Giles, Buckinghamshire, Dorothy Pagets mother was a member of the New York Whitney family who are one of the most prominent Thoroughbred horse racing and breeding families in American racing history. Paget too owned a stable of Thoroughbreds as well as the Ballymacoll Stud breeding farm in County Meath and her horses won a total of 1,532 races in both flat and hurdling. She was the British flat racing Champion Owner in 1943, the year her horse Straight Deal won the Epsom Derby and she was leading National Hunt owner in 1933–34, 1940–41 and 1951–52. She owned seven Cheltenham Gold Cup winners, Golden Miller five times, 1932–1936 inclusive, Roman Hackle in 1940 and her four Champion Hurdle winners were Insurance in 1932 and 1933, Solford in 1940 and Distel in 1946. Golden Miller also provided her with her victory in the Grand National in 1934. Although Dorothy Paget spent todays equivalent of millions of pounds on bloodstock, Golden Miller. They were purchased from Mr. Phillip Carr for 12,000 guineas for both of them. Her Derby winner, Straight Deal, was bred and sire of the Champion Hurdle winner of 1957, Merry Deal. On her death in 1960, Ballymacoll Stud was acquired by the English industrialist and she is still said to be there by many who knew her. A great character who could be very kind to her staff. She was considered a notoriously difficult owner, often phoning her trainer in the middle of the night and she also threw a screaming fit at Fulke Walwyn after the trainer could only deliver five winners of a six race card. However these rantings were as much dealing as she had any man. In her early years Dorothy Paget hunted enthusiastically and in the late 1920s financed the team of supercharged Bentleys created by Sir Henry Birkin, a member of the Nottingham lace family. At the outbreak of war in 1939 and for five years previously the two biggest racecourse gamblers, as opposed to professional backers, were both women. Rank who, like Dorothy Paget, had a number of horses in training but nothing like so many, neither would hesitate to have £10,000 or more on their horses whenever they ran

21.
Italy
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Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a unitary parliamentary republic in Europe. Located in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea, Italy shares open land borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, San Marino, Italy covers an area of 301,338 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal and Mediterranean climate. Due to its shape, it is referred to in Italy as lo Stivale. With 61 million inhabitants, it is the fourth most populous EU member state, the Italic tribe known as the Latins formed the Roman Kingdom, which eventually became a republic that conquered and assimilated other nearby civilisations. The legacy of the Roman Empire is widespread and can be observed in the distribution of civilian law, republican governments, Christianity. The Renaissance began in Italy and spread to the rest of Europe, bringing a renewed interest in humanism, science, exploration, Italian culture flourished at this time, producing famous scholars, artists and polymaths such as Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo, Michelangelo and Machiavelli. The weakened sovereigns soon fell victim to conquest by European powers such as France, Spain and Austria. Despite being one of the victors in World War I, Italy entered a period of economic crisis and social turmoil. The subsequent participation in World War II on the Axis side ended in defeat, economic destruction. Today, Italy has the third largest economy in the Eurozone and it has a very high level of human development and is ranked sixth in the world for life expectancy. The country plays a prominent role in regional and global economic, military, cultural and diplomatic affairs, as a reflection of its cultural wealth, Italy is home to 51 World Heritage Sites, the most in the world, and is the fifth most visited country. The assumptions on the etymology of the name Italia are very numerous, according to one of the more common explanations, the term Italia, from Latin, Italia, was borrowed through Greek from the Oscan Víteliú, meaning land of young cattle. The bull was a symbol of the southern Italic tribes and was often depicted goring the Roman wolf as a defiant symbol of free Italy during the Social War. Greek historian Dionysius of Halicarnassus states this account together with the legend that Italy was named after Italus, mentioned also by Aristotle and Thucydides. The name Italia originally applied only to a part of what is now Southern Italy – according to Antiochus of Syracuse, but by his time Oenotria and Italy had become synonymous, and the name also applied to most of Lucania as well. The Greeks gradually came to apply the name Italia to a larger region, excavations throughout Italy revealed a Neanderthal presence dating back to the Palaeolithic period, some 200,000 years ago, modern Humans arrived about 40,000 years ago. Other ancient Italian peoples of undetermined language families but of possible origins include the Rhaetian people and Cammuni. Also the Phoenicians established colonies on the coasts of Sardinia and Sicily, the Roman legacy has deeply influenced the Western civilisation, shaping most of the modern world

22.
Henry Birkin
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Sir Henry Ralph Stanley Tim Birkin, 3rd Baronet was a British racing driver, one of the Bentley Boys of the 1920s. Birkin was born into a wealthy Nottingham family in 1896, the son of Sir Thomas Stanley Birkin, 2nd Bt. and the Hon. Margaret Diana Hopetoun Chetwynd. In childhood, Henry Birkin gained the nickname Tim, after the comic book character Tiger Tim, created by Julius Stafford Baker. It was his nickname for the rest of his life, Birkin married Audrey Clara Lilian Latham, daughter of Sir Thomas Paul Latham, 1st Bt. and Florence Clara Walley, on 12 July 1921, they divorced in 1928. He and Audrey had two daughters, Pamela and Sara, both of whom married and had issue, the elder daughter Pamela married two Buxton cousins in succession, and her second husband was the Life Peer Baron Buxton of Alsa, KCVO, MC. She had seven children including wildlife film-maker Cindy Buxton, the younger daughter Sara married twice, and had two sons by her first husband. At his death in 1933, without sons of his own, he was succeeded by his next surviving male relative, his paternal uncle Sir Alexander Russell Birkin and his younger brother, Archie Birkin, was killed during practice for the 1927 Isle of Man TT motorcycle races. In 1921 Birkin turned to racing, competing a few races at Brooklands. Business and family pressures then forced him to retire from the tracks until 1927 when he entered a three litre Bentley for a six-hour race. For 1928 he acquired a 4½ litre car and after good results decided to return to motor racing. Soon Birkin, racing with a blue and white spotted silk scarf around his neck, the next year Birkin was back as winner, racing the Speed Six as co-driver to Woolf Barnato. If Bentley wanted a powerful car he developed a bigger model. Ettore Bugatti once referred to the Bentley as the worlds fastest lorry, back in 1928 however, Birkin had come to the conclusion that the future lay in getting more power from a lighter model by fitting a supercharger to the 4½ litre Bentley. When Bentley Motors refused to create the supercharged model Birkin sought he determined to develop it himself, adding a huge Roots-type supercharger in front of the radiator driven straight from the crankshaft gave the car a unique appearance. The 242 bhp blower Bentley was born, the first car, a stripped down Brooklands racer known as Bentley Blower No.1, first appeared at the Essex six hour race at Brooklands on 29 June 1929. However, the car proved to be very unreliable. Bentley himself had never accepted the blower Bentley, nevertheless, with Wolf Barnatos support, Birkin persuaded W. O. to produce the fifty supercharged cars necessary for the model to be accepted for the Le Mans twenty-four-hour race. In addition to production cars built by Bentley Motors, Birkin put together a racing team of four remodelled prototypes

23.
Jean Chassagne
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Jean Chassagne was a pioneer submariner, aviator and French racecar driver active 1906-1930. Chassagne finished third in the 1913 French Grand Prix, won the 1922 Tourist Trophy and he was second in the 1921 Italian Grand Prix with a Ballot, and set speed records and won races at Brooklands and hill climbs internationally. Chassagne was also associated with the Bentley Boys, who are described as having captured the spirit of the times, larger than life, their restless and often reckless love of speed and adventure complemented the big green Bentleys from Cricklewood perfectly. As a result of his association with Bentley Motors, Chassagne Square in Crewe was named in his honour. Chassagne applied to serve as a pilot during the Great War but under the request of the British Admiralty he joined Sunbeam to advise, develop, Chassagne raced well into his forties with Bentley and others in Le Mans and elsewhere. His first Grand Prix was the very first French Grand Prix in Le Mans 1906 and his last was in 1930, during which period he also was responsible for numerous speed records. He was also involved in the development and testing of racing cars, namely Grand Prix Sunbeams, Jean Chassagne was not born into wealth, and competing at the cutting edge of technology could not have been easy. Despite this, he retained a “twinkle in his eye and un air fortement sympathique” throughout his life, born 1881 July 26 and was brought up at La Croisille-sur-Briance, Haute-Vienne, Limoges, France and later in Burgundy, France in modest circumstances. His father, a trainer, was killed in a riding accident when Jean Chassagne was still young. He attended L’Ecole Professionnelle de St Leonard de Noblat followed by the highly regarded L’Ecole des Arts et Métiers which was formative in his life at the cutting edge of motorised racing. In 1900 November 29 Jean Chassagne joined the French Navy, submarines were very much at the forefront of naval marine technology at that time. Chassagne continued working at Darracq as a mechanic for two years until 1908 acting as riding mechanic during the heroic pioneering age of racing to Hanriot, Hautvost and Demogeot. In 1908 Chassagne travelled to the USA for the American Grand Prize, Savannah, development, assembly and testing of the first Hanriot Monoplanes, Reims followed and in August 1910 Chassagne received his pilot licence certificate no.160. He subsequently participated in events including the ‘Baie de Seine’ estuary crossing, winning the Liege altitude & speed prizes. Chassagne crashed in Deauville due to engine problem but escaped only a few splinters from the wooden frame in his thighs. That year Jean Chassagne met Louis Coatalen, joined the Sunbeam racing team, in 1909 the British Sunbeam firm engaged the energetic and ambitious Breton Louis Hervé Coatalen, as a Chief Engineer. Racing enthusiast Coatalen was to transform the Wolverhampton firm to become the foremost British exponents of motor racing internationally at the highest echelons and it was Coatalen who in 1912 engaged his countryman Jean Chassagne as part of his winning racing team. In 1912 Coatalen entered a team of four race modified 12/16 Sunbeam cars to compete in the Coupe de lAuto which was run concurrently with the historic 1912 French Grand Prix de l’ACF at Dieppe

24.
Germany
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Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a federal parliamentary republic in central-western Europe. It includes 16 constituent states, covers an area of 357,021 square kilometres, with about 82 million inhabitants, Germany is the most populous member state of the European Union. After the United States, it is the second most popular destination in the world. Germanys capital and largest metropolis is Berlin, while its largest conurbation is the Ruhr, other major cities include Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Düsseldorf and Leipzig. Various Germanic tribes have inhabited the northern parts of modern Germany since classical antiquity, a region named Germania was documented before 100 AD. During the Migration Period the Germanic tribes expanded southward, beginning in the 10th century, German territories formed a central part of the Holy Roman Empire. During the 16th century, northern German regions became the centre of the Protestant Reformation, in 1871, Germany became a nation state when most of the German states unified into the Prussian-dominated German Empire. After World War I and the German Revolution of 1918–1919, the Empire was replaced by the parliamentary Weimar Republic, the establishment of the national socialist dictatorship in 1933 led to World War II and the Holocaust. After a period of Allied occupation, two German states were founded, the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic, in 1990, the country was reunified. In the 21st century, Germany is a power and has the worlds fourth-largest economy by nominal GDP. As a global leader in industrial and technological sectors, it is both the worlds third-largest exporter and importer of goods. Germany is a country with a very high standard of living sustained by a skilled. It upholds a social security and universal health system, environmental protection. Germany was a member of the European Economic Community in 1957. It is part of the Schengen Area, and became a co-founder of the Eurozone in 1999, Germany is a member of the United Nations, NATO, the G8, the G20, and the OECD. The national military expenditure is the 9th highest in the world, the English word Germany derives from the Latin Germania, which came into use after Julius Caesar adopted it for the peoples east of the Rhine. This in turn descends from Proto-Germanic *þiudiskaz popular, derived from *þeudō, descended from Proto-Indo-European *tewtéh₂- people, the discovery of the Mauer 1 mandible shows that ancient humans were present in Germany at least 600,000 years ago. The oldest complete hunting weapons found anywhere in the world were discovered in a mine in Schöningen where three 380, 000-year-old wooden javelins were unearthed

25.
Rudolf Caracciola
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Otto Wilhelm Rudolf Caracciola, more commonly Rudolf Caracciola, was a racing driver from Remagen, Germany. He won the European Drivers Championship, the equivalent of the modern Formula One World Championship. He also won the European Hillclimbing Championship three times – twice in sports cars, and once in Grand Prix cars, Caracciola raced for Mercedes-Benz during their original dominating Silver Arrows period, named after the silver colour of the cars, and set speed records for the firm. He was affectionately dubbed Caratsch by the German public, and was known by the title of Regenmeister, or Rainmaster, Caracciola began racing while he was working as apprentice at the Fafnir automobile factory in Aachen during the early 1920s, first on motorcycles and then in cars. Racing for Mercedes-Benz, he won his first two Hillclimbing Championships in 1930 and 1931, and moved to Alfa Romeo for 1932, where he won the Hillclimbing Championship for the third time. He returned to the newly reformed Mercedes-Benz racing team in 1934, like most German racing drivers in the 1930s, Caracciola was a member of the Nazi paramilitary group National Socialist Motor Corps, but never a member of the Nazi Party. He returned to racing after the Second World War, but crashed in qualifying for the 1946 Indianapolis 500, a second comeback in 1952 was halted by another crash, in a sports car race in Switzerland. After he retired, Caracciola worked as a Mercedes-Benz salesman targeting North Atlantic Treaty Organization troops stationed in Europe and he died in the German city of Kassel, after suffering liver failure. He was buried in Switzerland, where he had lived since the early 1930s and he is remembered as one of the greatest pre-1939 Grand Prix drivers, a perfectionist who excelled in all conditions. His record of six German Grand Prix wins remains unbeaten, Rudolf Caracciola was born in Remagen, Germany, on 30 January 1901. He was the child of Maximilian and Mathilde, who ran the Hotel Fürstenberg. His ancestors had migrated during the Thirty Years War from Naples to the German Rhineland, Caracciola was interested in cars from a young age, and from his fourteenth birthday wanted to become a racing driver. He drove an early Mercedes during the First World War, motorsport in Germany at the time, as in the rest of Europe, was an exclusive sport, mainly limited to the upper classes. As the sport more professional in the early 1920s, specialist drivers, like Caracciola. Caracciola enjoyed his first success in motorsport while working for Fafnir and he followed this with victory in a race at the Opelbahn in Rüsselsheim. He did not stay long in Aachen, however, in 1923, after punching a soldier from the occupying Belgian Army in a nightclub and he moved to Dresden, where he continued to work as a Fafnir representative. In April of that year, Caracciola won the 1923 ADAC race at the Berlin Stadium in a borrowed Ego 4 hp. In his autobiography, Caracciola said he only sold one car for Fafnir

26.
Mercedes-Benz SSK
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The Mercedes-Benz SSK is a roadster built by German automobile manufacturer Mercedes-Benz between 1928 and 1932. Its name is an abbreviation of Super Sport Kurz, German for Super Sport Short, the SSKs extreme performance and numerous competitive successes made it one of the most highly regarded sports cars of its era. The SSK was the last car designed for Mercedes-Benz by the engineer Ferdinand Porsche before he left to found his own company. The SSK was based on the earlier Mercedes-Benz S, but with the chassis shortened by 19 inches to make the car lighter and more agile for racing, especially short races and hillclimbs. The supercharger on the SSKs engine was operated by a clutch that was engaged by depressing the throttle pedal. Backing off the throttle pedal disengaged the supercharger clutch, the S/SS/SSK line was one of the nominees in the penultimate round of voting for the Car of the Century award in 1999, as chosen by a panel of 132 motoring journalists and a public internet vote. Fewer than 40 SSKs were built during its span, of which about half were sold as Rennwagen

27.
Mercedes-Benz
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Mercedes-Benz is a global automobile manufacturer and a division of the German company Daimler AG. The brand is known for vehicles, buses, coaches. The headquarters is in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, the slogan for the brand is the best or nothing and Mercedes-Benz was one of the top growing brands in 2014 with 18% growth. The Mercedes automobile was first marketed in 1901 by Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft, emil Jellinek, an Austrian automobile entrepreneur who worked with DMG created the trademark in 1902, naming the 1901 Mercedes 35 hp after his daughter Mercedes Jellinek. The first Mercedes-Benz brand name vehicles were produced in 1926, following the merger of Karl Benzs, on 28 June 1926, Mercedes Benz was formed with the merger of Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimlers two companies. Gottlieb Daimler was born on 17 March 1834 in Schorndorf, after training as a gunsmith and working in France, he attended the Polytechnic School in Stuttgart from 1857 to 1859. After completing various activities in France and England, he started work as a draftsman in Geislingen in 1862. At the end of 1863, he was appointed inspector in a machine tool factory in Reutlingen. Throughout the 1930s, Mercedes-Benz produced the 770 model, a car that was popular during Germanys Nazi period, Adolf Hitler was known to have driven these cars during his time in power, with bulletproof windshields. Most of the models have been sold at auctions to private buyers. One of them is currently on display at the War Museum in Ottawa, the pontiffs Popemobile has often been sourced from Mercedes-Benz. In 1944,46,000 forced laborers were used in Daimler-Benzs factories to bolster Nazi war efforts, the company later paid $12 million in reparations to the laborers families. Mercedes-Benz has introduced many technological and safety innovations that became common in other vehicles. Mercedes-Benz is one of the best-known and established automotive brands in the world, for information relating to the famous three-pointed star, see under the title Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft including the merger into Daimler-Benz. As part of the Daimler AG company, the Mercedes-Benz Cars division includes Mercedes-Benz, mercedes-AMG became a majority owned division of Mercedes-Benz in 1999. The company was integrated into DaimlerChrysler in 1999, and became Mercedes-Benz AMG beginning on 1 January 1999, Daimlers ultra-luxury brand Maybach was under Mercedes-Benz cars division until 2013, when the production stopped due to poor sales volumes. It now exists under the Mercedes-Maybach name, with the models being ultra-luxury versions of Mercedes cars, Daimler coorporates with BYD Auto to make and sell a battery-electric car called Denza in China. In 2016, Daimler announced plans to sell Mercedes-Benz branded all-electric battery cars in China, beside its native Germany, Mercedes-Benz vehicles are also manufactured or assembled in, Since its inception, Mercedes-Benz had maintained a reputation for its quality and durability

28.
MG M-type
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The MG M-type is a sports car that was produced by the MG Cars from April 1929 to 1932. It was sometimes referred to as the 8/33, early cars were made in the Cowley factory, but from 1930 production had transferred to Abingdon. The M-Type was one of the first genuinely affordable sports cars to be offered by an established manufacturer, the car had a wheelbase of 78 inches and a track of 42 inches. 1930 brought a series of improvements to the car, the Morris rod brake system, with the handbrake working on the transmission, was replaced a cable system with cross shaft coupled to the handbrake and the transmission brake deleted. Engine output was increased to 27 bhp by improving the camshaft, a supercharged version could be ordered from 1932, raising the top speed to 80 mph. Early bodies were fabric-covered using a frame, this changed to all-metal in 1931. The factory even made a van version as a service vehicle, the car could reach 65 mph and return 40 miles per gallon. The open version cost £175 at launch, soon rising to £185, the 1932 supercharged car cost £250. The M-type had considerable sporting success, both privately and with teams winning gold medals in the 1929 Lands End Trial and class wins in the 1930 Double Twelve race at Brooklands. An entry was made in the 1930 Le Mans 24 hour

29.
MG (car)
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Best known for its two-seat open sports cars, MG also produced saloons and coupés. Kimber was an employee of William Morris, MG underwent many changes in ownership starting with Morris merging with Austin in The British Motor Corporation Limited in 1952. MG became the MG Division of BMC in 1967 and so a component of the 1968 merger that created British Leyland Motor Corporation. By the start of 2000 MG was part of the MG Rover Group which entered receivership in 2005 and the assets, production restarted in 2007 in China, and later at Longbridge plant in the UK under the current manufacturer MG Motor. The first all-new model from MG in the UK for 16 years, the original MG marque was in continuous use, except for the duration of the Second World War, for 56 years following its inception in 1923. The production of predominantly two-seater sports cars was concentrated at a factory in Abingdon, between 1982 and 1991, the MG marque used to badge-engineer sportier versions of Austin Rovers Metro, Maestro, and Montego ranges. A second revival came in the summer of 1995, when the high-volume MG F two-seater roadster was launched, the MG marque, along with the Rover marque, went to the MG Rover group in May 2000, when BMW broke up the Rover Group. The assets of MG Rover were bought by Chinese carmaker Nanjing Automobile in July 2005, subsequently bought by SAIC in December 2007, kimber had joined the company as its sales manager in 1921. He was promoted to manager in 1922, a position he held until 1941. Kimber died in 1945 in a railway accident, the site of the garages was redeveloped in 1980, retaining the original frontage, and is now used as student accommodation by New College. Others dispute this and believe that MG only properly began trading in 1925, the explanation may lie in the distinction between the MG business and the company of that name which may have come to own it later. The first cars which were rebodied Morris models used coachwork from Carbodies of Coventry and were built in premises in Alfred Lane, demand soon caused a move to larger premises in Bainton Road in September 1925, sharing space with the Morris radiator works. Continuing expansion meant another move in 1927 to a factory in Edmund Road, Cowley, Oxford, near the main Morris factory. In 1928, the company had large enough to warrant an identity separate from the original Morris Garages. Car Company Limited was established in March of that year, the MG Car Club was founded in 1930 for owners and enthusiasts of MG cars. Originally owned personally by William Morris, MG was sold in 1935 to Morris Motors, MG was absorbed with Morris into The British Motor Corporation Limited, created in 1952 to merge Morris Motors Limited and The Austin Motor Company Limited. Long-time service manager John Thornley took over as manager, guiding the company through its best years until his retirement in 1969. Under BMC, several MG models were no more than badge-engineered versions of other marques, BMC took over Jaguar Cars in September 1966 and that December BMC changed its name to British Motor Holdings

30.
United States
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Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east, the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U. S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean, the geography, climate and wildlife of the country are extremely diverse. At 3.8 million square miles and with over 324 million people, the United States is the worlds third- or fourth-largest country by area, third-largest by land area. It is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, paleo-Indians migrated from Asia to the North American mainland at least 15,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 16th century, the United States emerged from 13 British colonies along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the following the Seven Years War led to the American Revolution. On July 4,1776, during the course of the American Revolutionary War, the war ended in 1783 with recognition of the independence of the United States by Great Britain, representing the first successful war of independence against a European power. The current constitution was adopted in 1788, after the Articles of Confederation, the first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and designed to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties. During the second half of the 19th century, the American Civil War led to the end of slavery in the country. By the end of century, the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the status as a global military power. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the sole superpower. The U. S. is a member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States. The United States is a developed country, with the worlds largest economy by nominal GDP. It ranks highly in several measures of performance, including average wage, human development, per capita GDP. While the U. S. economy is considered post-industrial, characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge economy, the United States is a prominent political and cultural force internationally, and a leader in scientific research and technological innovations. In 1507, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere America after the Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci

31.
Philippe de Rothschild
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Born in Paris, Georges Philippe de Rothschild was the younger son of Baron Henri de Rothschild and Mathilde Sophie Henriette von Weissweiller. At the outbreak of World War I, 12-year-old Philippe was sent to the safety of the vineyard in the village of Pauillac in the Médoc. There, he developed a love of the country and the business, an enterprise in his family since 1853. As a young man, in sharp contrast to the Rothschild familys staid aristocratic traditions, Philippe de Rothschild became a larger-than-life personality. During the 1920s, Philippe lived the life of a playboy, often found in the company of a beautiful woman, usually an actress. From his father, he inherited the love of fast cars, Rothschild raced his own Bugatti T35C with moderate success, including coming fourth in the 1929 Monaco Grand Prix. He also made an appearance for the elite Bugatti works team. Rothschild made his first competition appearance in the Paris-Nice auto race of 1928, after purchasing a supercharged Bugatti, the ex Targa Florio factory type 37A T37, he adopted the pseudonym to protect his family. Georges Philippe made his first appearance at the 1928 Bugatti Grand Prix at Le Mans, for 1929, Rothschild decided to upgrade to a full Grand Prix-specification Type 35C. In fact, he was so enamoured with the vehicles, he ordered three, using one of the new cars, Georges Philippe was entered into the Grand Prix dAntibes. In a field that included Rene Dreyfus and Philippe Étancelin, both race winners many times over, Rothschild led the race until he crashed out on the 36th lap. A mere two weeks later, with the car rebuilt, Georges Philippe finished a creditable fourth at the inaugural Grand Prix Automobile de Monaco. Continued improvement was finally rewarded when Georges Philippe won the Burgundy Grand Prix three weeks later, finishing ahead of Guy Bouriat in a second Rothschild T35C, however, he was unfortunate to retire from the following race while running sixth. The third of Rothschilds T35Cs was regularly campaigned by a rather curious acquaintance for a future Baron, a model and exotic dancer at the Casino de Paris, Helene Delangle regularly took to the track under her professional pseudonym Hellé Nice. Nevertheless, Georges Philippe had attracted sufficient attention to be offered a factory drive alongside Monegasque star Louis Chiron, in his two races for the crack squad, Rothschild ran at the front of the field, before dropping back later in the race due to vehicle troubles. Unfortuately, increasing fame was wearing Georges Philippes anonymity rather thin and his final appearance was in the 193024 Hours of Le Mans where, driving an American Stutz, he failed to finish. After this Rothschild quietly laid Georges Philippe to rest, and returned to running Château Mouton Rothschild, previously, vineyards sold their wines in bulk, leaving the maturing, bottling, labeling and marketing to be handled by the wine merchants. Philippe de Rothschilds idea was to control over the quality of his product

32.
Stutz Motor Company
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The Stutz Motor Company was an American producer of luxury cars based in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. Production began in 1911 and continued until 1935, the brand reappeared in 1968 under the aegis of Stutz Motor Car of America, Inc. and with a newly defined modern retro-look. Although the company is active today, actual sales of factory produced vehicles ceased in 1995. Throughout its history, Stutz was known as a producer of fast cars and luxury cars for the rich, the company was founded as the Ideal Motor Car Company in Indianapolis in 1911. Ideal entered a car in the Indianapolis 500 that year and placed 11th, earning it the slogan, the next year, the founder, Harry C. Stutz, renamed the company Stutz Motor Company and began selling high-performance roadsters like the famous Stutz Bearcat, the Bearcat featured a brawny four-cylinder T-head engine with four valves per cylinder, one of the earliest multi-valve engines. Stutz has also credited with the development of the underslung chassis. Stutz White Squadron race team won the 1913 and 1915 championships, in 1922, three Stutz investors, one of whom was Charles M. Schwab, gained control of the company. The new owners brought in Frederick Ewan Moskowics, formerly of Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft, Marmon, Moskowics quickly refocused the company as a developer of safety cars, a recurring theme in the auto industry. In the case of Stutz, the car featured safety glass, a low center of gravity for better handling, one notable advance was the 1931 DOHC 32-valve in-line 8 called the DV32. This was during the so-called cylinders race of the early 1930s, in 1927, a Stutz set a world record for speed, averaging 68 mph for 24 hours. Also in 1927, Stutz won the AAA Championship winning every race, in 1929, three Stutzes, with bodies designed by Gordon Buehrig, built by Weymanns U. S. Production ended in 1935 after 35,000 cars had been manufactured, the former Indianapolis factory is today known as the Stutz Business Center and is home to more than eighty artists, sculptors, photographers, designers, architects, and craftsmen. Virgil Exner had more luck with the Stutz name, in August 1968, New York banker James ODonnell raised funds and incorporated Stutz Motor Car of America. A prototype of Exners Stutz Blackhawk was produced by Ghia, all these cars used General Motors running gear, featuring perimeter-type chassis frames, automatic transmission, power steering and power brakes with discs at the front. They were lavishly furnished, with all possible luxury features such as windows, air conditioning, central locking, electric seats. On the sedans there was typically a console for beverages in the rear seat and this incarnation of Stutz had some reasonable success selling newly designed Blackhawks, Bearcats, Royale Limousines, IV Portes, and Victorias. Elvis Presley bought the first Blackhawk in 1971, and later purchased a further three, frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Evel Knievel, Barry White and Sammy Davis, Jr. all owned Stutz cars

33.
Bollack Netter and Co
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Bollack, Netter, et Cie, more commonly known as B. N. C. was a small automobile company in Paris situated on Avenue de Paris 39, in the Levallois-Perret district. B. N. C. was established by Lucien Bollack and his financier, banker René Netter, the technical director was Jacques Muller, also known as Jack. Cyclecar formed the basis of their first car the DZ, B. N. C. were a successful maker of cyclecars, winning many rallies albeit not selling very many cars. His timing was less perfect, however, in that he failed to anticipate the Great Depression. Launching the large 8-cylinder engined Aigle in October 1929, a few days before the market crashes gave notice of a decade of severe contraction and stagnation for the French economy. Shortly after he had taken over at B. N. C. N. C, models on display included the new B. N. C. 6-cylinder engined 2-litre B. N. C coupé Vedette ADER, in the event this car was never produced for sale, however. For 1931 a line of sporty front-wheel drive B. N. C. cars with pneumatic suspension were presented, the doors of the firm were shuttered shortly afterwards. One of B. N. C. s drivers, André Siréjols, had already been building bodies for B. N. C. He took over the stock of parts and kept on assembling a trickle of cars into the fifties. The last of these cars were equipped with Fords 10 HP1172 cc side valve four. Beginning with a model, the DZ, before the first year was over the range had reached double digits. Three chassis and three different engines were offered, as were a plethora of bodystyles, mainly produced sports cars, and their design was similar to that of the Amilcar. The cars engines were not made at the factory, but were purchased from proprietary engine manufacturers such Ruby. Later produced a car with a 1,100 cc S. C. A. P. or Chapuis-Dornier engines, while most had three-speed gearboxes, a number of cars received four-speed units. Sport was presented, with engines from S. C. A. P. or Ruby, spoked wheels. In the late 1920s, BNC tried their hand at producing large passenger cars with four to five-liter eight-cylinder engines made by Lycoming. To prove the mettle of the cars, a standard B. N. C. with an 1,100 cc Ruby engine lapped the Le Mans circuit for 24 hours straight in 1928, the average speed was above 90 km/h

34.
Circuit de la Sarthe
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The Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans, also known as Circuit de la Sarthe located in Le Mans, Maine, France, is a semi-permanent race course most famous as the venue for the 24 Hours of Le Mans auto race. The track also includes roads that remain open to the public most of the year. The circuit, in its present configuration, is 13.629 kilometres long, making it one of the longest circuits in the world, capacity of the race stadium, where the short Bugatti Circuit is situated, is 100,000. Le Mans is a race where up to 85% of the time is spent on full throttle, meaning immense stress on engine. Even with the modifications put in place over the years, the Sarthe circuit is known for being very fast. This classic configuration was 8.369 miles long and remained almost unaltered even after the 1955 tragedy and its frighteningly narrow pit straight was narrowed off to make room for the pits and was part of the road itself, without the road becoming wider just for the pits. The pit straight was about 12 feet wide and the race track, the pit area was modified at a cost of 300 million francs, the signalling area was even moved to the exit of the slow Mulsanne corner, and the track was resurfaced. With cars getting ever faster in the 1960s, criticism rose, especially when drivers were killed. Since 1965, a smaller but permanent Bugatti Circuit was added which shares the pit lane facilities, for the 1968 race, the Ford chicane was added before the pits to slow down the cars. The circuit was fitted with Armco for the 1969 race, one of the Porsche Curves was affectionately named Maison Blanche and a short straight with a slight kink and two chicanes before the pits named the Ford chicanes were all added. In 1979, due to the construction of a new public road and this redesign led to a faster double-apex corner as well as requiring the removal of the second Dunlop Bridge. In 1986, because of construction of a new roundabout at the Mulsanne corner and this created a right hand kink prior to Mulsanne corner. In 1987, a chicane was added to the very fast Dunlop curve where cars would go under the Dunlop bridge at 180 mph, the Le Mans circuit was changed between the Dunlop Bridge and Esses, with the straight now becoming a set of fast sweeping turns. This layout allowed for a transition from the Le Mans circuit to the Bugatti circuit. This layout change would require the tracks infamous carnival to be relocated because the area it had once occupied became runoff. As part of the development, a new extended pit lane exit was created for the Bugatti Circuit and this second pit exit re-enters the track just beyond the Dunlop Chicane and before the Dunlop Bridge. Following the fatal crash of Danish driver Allan Simonsen at the 2013 race at the exit of Tertre Rouge into D338, the radius will be moved in approximately 200m for safety reasons with new tyre barriers at the exit. Le Mans was most famous for its 6 km long straight, called Ligne Droite des Hunaudières, a part of the route départementale D338

35.
Le Mans
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Le Mans is a city in France, on the Sarthe River. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department, Le Mans is a part of the Pays de la Loire region. Its inhabitants are called Manceaux and Mancelles, since 1923, the city has hosted the internationally famous 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance sports car race. First mentioned by Claudius Ptolemy, the Roman city Vindinium was the capital of the Aulerci, Le Mans is also known as Civitas Cenomanorum, or Cenomanus. Their city, seized by the Romans in 47 BC, was within the ancient Roman province of Gallia Lugdunensis, a 3rd-century amphitheatre is still visible. The thermae were demolished during the crisis of the century when workers were mobilized to build the citys defensive walls. The ancient wall around Le Mans is one of the most complete circuits of Gallo-Roman city walls to survive, as the use of the French language replaced late Vulgar Latin in the area, Cenomanus, with dissimilation, became known as Celmans. Cel- was taken to be a form of the French word for this and that, and was replaced by le, gregory of Tours mentions a Frankish sub-king Rigomer, who was killed by King Clovis I in his campaign to unite the Frankish territories. As the principal city of Maine, Le Mans was the stage for struggles in the century between the counts of Anjou and the dukes of Normandy. When the Normans had control of Maine, William the Conqueror successfully invaded England, in 1069 the citizens of Maine revolted and expelled the Normans, resulting in Hugh V being proclaimed count of Maine. Geoffrey V of Anjou married Matilda of England in the cathedral and their son Henry II Plantagenet, king of England, was born here. The airfield was declared operational on 3 September and designated as A-35 and it was used by several American fighter and transport units until late November of that year in additional offensives across France, the airfield was closed. Le Mans has an old town and the Cathédrale St-Julien, dedicated to St Julian of Le Mans. Remnants of a Roman wall are visible in the old town and these walls are highlighted every summer evening in a light show that tells the history of the town. Arboretum de la Grand Prée Part of the former Cistercian abbey de lEpau, founded by Queen Berengaria, jardin des Plantes du Mans Musée de la reine Bérengère, a museum of Le Mans history located in a gothic manor house. Musée de Tessé, the arts museum of the city, displaying painting. Le Mans has an oceanic climate influenced by the mild Atlantic air travelling inland, summers are warm and occasionally hot, whereas winters are mild and cloudy. Precipitation is relatively uniform and moderate year round, at the 1999 French census, there were 293,159 inhabitants in the metropolitan area of Le Mans, with 146,105 of these living in the city proper

36.
Sarthe
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Sarthe is a French department situated in the Grand-Ouest of the country. It is named after the River Sarthe, which flows from east of Le Mans to just north of Angers, in the late 18th century, before it was officially Sarthe, the nobility built their Mansions and Chateaus there, as an escape from Paris. The department was created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790, pursuant to the law of 22 December 1789, the latter was divided into two departments, Sarthe to the east and Mayenne to the west. In Roman times, this contained the city of Mans. The Roman Thermal Bathhouse attracts many tourists, as does the Theater of Aubigné-Racan, marin Mersenne, perhaps the most important scientific figure in the early 17th century, was born in the vicinity of Sarthe. The department of Sarthe is at the end of the administrative region of Pays-de-la-Loire. It is south of Normandy and on the edge of the Armorican Massif. It is bordered by the departments of Orne, Eure-et-Loir, Loir-et-Cher, Indre-et-Loire, Maine-et-Loire, approximately 300,000 people, comprising more than half of the departments population, live in Le Mans, its conurbation, or the essentially urban communes close by. The rest of the department retains a rural character, with agriculture as the part of the economy. The arrival of the railways in 1854 boosted trade for the local economy, a TGV connection was constructed in 1989, connecting the community to high-speed transport. In terms of connections, the A11 autoroute, which was constructed to Le Mans from the east in 1978. The department was the base of former Prime Minister Francois Fillon

37.
List of female 24 Hours of Le Mans drivers
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This is a list of female motor racing drivers who have entered a 24 Hours of Le Mans race. 57 women have started this race with the most recent being Christina Nielsen, no women competed in 2015, the first year since 2004 to have no female participation. 39 women have finished the race, the best result was achieved by Odette Siko who finished 4th overall and 1st in the 2 litre class in 1932. Ten women have class wins, Marie-Claude Charmasson is the only two wins in her category. Lella Lombardi is the woman who raced in a Formula One race and 24 Hours Le Mans. Desiré Wilson never qualified for a World Championship Formula One race, lyn St. James also raced in Indianapolis 500. Michèle Mouton is the woman with a WRC win, also Christine Dacremont was a WRC driver. As 2016,59 women have raced with 129 entries, anne-Charlotte Verney has entered ten times. 23 all womens teams has entered to a Le Mans race, only 12 have finished the race scoring 2 class win in 1974 and 1975

38.
Le Mans Prototype
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Le Mans Prototypes were created by the Automobile Club de lOuest. The technical requirements for an LMP include bodywork covering all mechanical elements of the car, while not as fast as open-wheel Formula One cars, LMPs are the fastest closed-wheel racing cars used in circuit racing. Le Mans Prototypes are considered a class above production-based grand tourer cars, modern LMP designs include hybrid cars that use electric motors to assist acceleration. Le Mans Prototypes have used various names depending on the series in which they compete, the FIAs equivalent cars were referred to as Sports Racers or Sports Racing Prototypes. The American IMSA GT Championship termed their cars World Sports Cars, since 2004, most series have switched to referring to these cars as Le Mans Prototypes. The American Le Mans Series, the successor to the IMSA GT Championship, an LMP is commonly referred to as a Le Mans car in the media. The first use of what would become Le Mans Prototypes was at the 199224 Hours of Le Mans. In an attempt to increase the number of entrants beyond the field of Group C competitors that the World Sportscar Championship had to offer, older Porsche 962s were allowed entry in Category 3. To further increase the size of the field, small open-cockpit race cars using production road car engines which were raced in national championships, were allowed in Category 4. Only three cars were entered, with all failing to run more than a few hours. With Group C being phased out, the ACO chose to allow production-based race cars to enter for the first time in many years, the cars continued to use the same formula as they had in 1992. Later, ACO announced their intentions to replace the Group C cars with Le Mans Prototypes in 1994. Both classes were required to have open cockpits and this formula continued up to 1996, with many manufacturers embracing the LMP and WSC classes, including Ferrari, Porsche, and Mazda. In 1997, the first European series based around Le Mans Prototypes was launched, to differ from IMSAS WSC class, the USRRC named their open-cockpit prototypes Can-Am in an attempt to resurrect the sportscar championship of the 1970s. However the USRRC collapsed before the end of 1999, with the series becoming the Rolex Sports Car Series who chose to use the FIAs SR1,1998 saw a great expansion for the ACOs LMP classes. Following the cancellation of the IMSA GT Championship at the end of 1998 and this series used the same class structure as the 24 Hours of Le Mans, meaning it was the first championship to use the LMP name. At the same time, the ACO greatly altered their LMP classes, the smaller LMP2 class were briefly eliminated, while a new class of closed-cockpit prototypes were allowed in, known as LMGTP. These cars were evolutions of production-based road cars that the ACO considered too advanced and too fast to fall under the GT class regulations, in 2000, changes were made to the LMP regulations, as the ACO once again split the open-cockpit LMP class

24 Hours of Le Mans
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The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the worlds oldest active sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since 1923 near the town of Le Mans, France. It is one of the most prestigious races in the world and is often called the Grand Prix of Endurance. The event represents one leg of the Triple Crown of Motorsport, other events being the Indianapolis

List of 24 Hours of Le Mans winners
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The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the worlds oldest sports car endurance race and one of the most famous and influential in motorsports history. The overall winners of all events since 1923 are listed here, the race has been run every year since its inception with the exception of 1936, where the race was not run due to worker strikes, and 1940 to 1948, d

1.
Nine-time Le Mans winner, Danish driver Tom Kristensen

2.
Six-time Le Mans winner, Belgian driver Jacky Ickx

3.
Five-time Le Mans winner, British driver Derek Bell

United Kingdom
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The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom or Britain, is a sovereign country in western Europe. Lying off the north-western coast of the European mainland, the United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom that shares a land border wi

1.
Stonehenge, in Wiltshire, was erected around 2500 BC.

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Flag

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The Bayeux Tapestry depicts the Battle of Hastings, 1066, and the events leading to it.

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The Treaty of Union led to a single united kingdom encompassing all Great Britain.

Bentley
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Bentley Motors Limited is a British manufacturer and marketer of luxury cars and SUVs—and a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG since 1998. The joining and eventual separation of Bentley and Rolls-Royce follows a series of mergers and acquisitions, beginning with the 1931 purchase by Rolls-Royce of Bentley, Rolls-Royce Motors was subsequently sold to engin

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Bentley winged "B" badge bonnet (hood) ornament

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Bentley Motors Limited

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1929 Blower Bentley

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Bentley 8 Litre 4-door sports saloon

Woolf Barnato
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Joel Woolf Barnato was a British financier and racing driver, one of the Bentley Boys of the 1920s. He achieved three wins out of three entries in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race. The youngest son of Fanny Bees and Barney Barnato, who had made a fortune as a Randlord in South African diamond and gold mining, born at Spencer House,27 St Jamess Place, L

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Woolf Barnato at the 1929 24 Hours of Le Mans

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1929 "Blower" Bentley.

Glen Kidston
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George Pearson Glen Kidston was an English record-breaking aviator and motor racing driver. Kidston was a member of the well-known Bentley Boys of the late 1920s, Kidston was one of the four, core Grosvenor Square-based Bentley team drivers, whose day-long parties passed into contemporary legend. A Lieutenant Commander in the Royal Navy, he was tor

1.
Glen Kidston

Bentley Speed Six
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The regular Bentley 6½ Litre and the high-performance Bentley Speed Six were sports and luxury cars based on Bentley rolling chassis in production from 1926 to 1930. The Speed Six, introduced in 1928, would become the most successful racing Bentley, two Bentley Speed Sixes became known as the Blue Train Bentleys after their owner Woolf Barnatos inv

Frank Clement (racing driver)
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Frank Charles Clement was a British racing driver who, along with Canadian John Duff, won the 192424 Hours of Le Mans. Part of the Bentley Boys, Clement was recruited by W. O, Bentley as a test driver for Bentley Motors. He was chosen by the company to drive in the inaugural 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1923 with John Duff in Duffs privately entered car.

1.
Left to right: Frank Clement, W.O. Bentley, and John Duff in front of their Bentley which won the 1924 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Talbot
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Talbot or Clément-Talbot Limited was a London automobile manufacturer founded in 1903. Clément-Talbots products were named just Talbot from shortly after introduction but the business did remain Clément-Talbot Limited until 1938 when it was renamed Sunbeam-Talbot Limited, both men, Chetwynd-Talbot and Clément-Bayard, reduced their financial interes

Johnny Hindmarsh
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John Stuart Hindmarsh, also known as Johnny Hindmarsh, was an English racecar driver and aviator. Hindmarsh was educated at Sherborne, Dorset and then attended the Royal Military College and he joined the Royal Army Tank Corps in 1928, then in 1930 learned to fly with the Royal Air Force. Hindmarsh also raced Talbot and Lagonda cars, he won the Le

1.
Johnny Hindmarsh at the 1935 24 Hours of Le Mans

Francis Curzon, 5th Earl Howe
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Francis Richard Henry Penn Curzon, 5th Earl Howe, CBE, RD, PC, styled as Viscount Curzon from 1900 to 1929, was a British naval officer, Member of Parliament, and motor racing driver and promotor. In the 1918 UK General Election he won the Battersea South seat as the candidate of the Conservative Party, while in Parliament he took up motor racing,

1.
Earl Howe after the 1931 24 Hours of Le Mans race

Alfa Romeo 6C
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The Alfa Romeo 6C name was used on road, race, and sports cars produced between 1927 and 1954 by Alfa Romeo, the 6C name refers to six cylinders of the cars straight-six engine. Bodies for these cars were made by such as James Young, Zagato, Touring, Castagna. Starting from 1933 there was also a 6C version with a factory Alfa body, in the early 192

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Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Touring Berlina

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6C 1500 Super Sport 1929 from Louwman Collection

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6C 1500 Drophead Coupe by James Young (1928)

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6C 1500 Sport Zagato Spider (1928)

Alfa Romeo in motorsport
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During its history, Alfa Romeo has competed successfully in many different categories of motorsport, including Grand Prix motor racing, Formula One, sportscar racing, touring car racing and rallies. They have competed both as a constructor and a supplier, via works entries and private entries. The first racing car was made in 1913, three years afte

Lea-Francis
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Lea-Francis is a motor manufacturing company that began by building bicycles. Richard Henry Lea and Graham Inglesby Francis started the business in Coventry in 1895 and they branched out into car manufacture in 1903 and motorcycles in 1911. Lea-Francis built cars under licence for the Singer company, in 1919 they started to build their own cars fro

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Lea-Francis radiator badge

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1928 Hyper

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The Lea-Francis Lynx

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The Lea-Francis 30/230 prototype

Henry Meadows
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Henry Meadows, usually known simply as Meadows, of Wolverhampton, England were major suppliers of engines and transmissions, to the smaller companies in the British motor industry. Founded in 1920 in Park Lane, Wolverhampton, as a car maker, they expanded into petrol engines in 1922 and in the 1930s built a large factory in Fallings Park. Early pro

1.
4½-litre engine in an Invicta car, 1931

France
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France, officially the French Republic, is a country with territory in western Europe and several overseas regions and territories. The European, or metropolitan, area of France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, Overseas France include French Guiana on the South American continent and several island territ

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One of the Lascaux paintings: a horse – Dordogne, approximately 18,000 BC

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Flag

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The Maison Carrée was a temple of the Gallo-Roman city of Nemausus (present-day Nîmes) and is one of the best preserved vestiges of the Roman Empire.

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With Clovis ' conversion to Catholicism in 498, the Frankish monarchy, elective and secular until then, became hereditary and of divine right.

Bugatti Type 40
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The early Bugatti 8-cylinder line began with the 1922 Type 30. The same basic design was used for the 1926 Type 38 as well as the Type 40, Type 43, Type 44, produced from 1922 through 1926, the Type 30 used the 2 L engine of the Type 29 racer. It shared its chassis with the Type 13 Brescia and this engine went on to be used in the cut-cost Type 35A

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Bugatti Type 30

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Bugatti Type 40 Grand Sport Tourer 1929

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Bugatti Type 40 1927

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Bugatti Type 43 Grand Sport 1928

Bugatti
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Automobiles Ettore Bugatti was a French car manufacturer of high-performance automobiles, founded in 1909 in the then German city of Molsheim, Alsace by Italian-born Ettore Bugatti. Bugatti cars were known for their beauty and for their many race victories. Famous Bugattis include the Type 35 Grand Prix cars, the Type 41 Royale, the Type 57 Atlanti

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1913 Bugatti 22, 3 seat Vinet

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The Bugatti logo

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1938 Type 57SC Atlantic from the Ralph Lauren collection

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1933 Type 59 Grand Prix racer from the Ralph Lauren collection

Tracta
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Tracta was a French car maker based in Asnières, Seine, that was active between 1926 and 1934. They were pioneers of front-wheel-drive vehicles, the business was directed and cars were designed by the engineer Jean-Albert Grégoire, who controlled the business, with financial support from his friend Pierre Fenaille. The cars were built in small numb

Dorothy Paget
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Dorothy Wyndham Paget was a British racehorse owner and sponsor of motor racing. Paget was the daughter of Lord Queenborough and Pauline Payne Whitney of the American Whitney family and she was a cousin of Jock Whitney, owner of the dual Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Easter Hero and latterly American Ambassador in London, and granddaughter of William

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La Maison Russe from Rue Miss Paget

Italy
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Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a unitary parliamentary republic in Europe. Located in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea, Italy shares open land borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, San Marino, Italy covers an area of 301,338 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal and Mediterranean climate. Due to its shape, it is refe

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The Colosseum in Rome, built c. 70 – 80 AD, is considered one of the greatest works of architecture and engineering of ancient history.

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Flag

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The Iron Crown of Lombardy, for centuries symbol of the Kings of Italy.

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Castel del Monte, built by German Emperor Frederick II, UNESCO World Heritage site

Henry Birkin
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Sir Henry Ralph Stanley Tim Birkin, 3rd Baronet was a British racing driver, one of the Bentley Boys of the 1920s. Birkin was born into a wealthy Nottingham family in 1896, the son of Sir Thomas Stanley Birkin, 2nd Bt. and the Hon. Margaret Diana Hopetoun Chetwynd. In childhood, Henry Birkin gained the nickname Tim, after the comic book character T

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Tim Birkin in 1931

Jean Chassagne
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Jean Chassagne was a pioneer submariner, aviator and French racecar driver active 1906-1930. Chassagne finished third in the 1913 French Grand Prix, won the 1922 Tourist Trophy and he was second in the 1921 Italian Grand Prix with a Ballot, and set speed records and won races at Brooklands and hill climbs internationally. Chassagne was also associa

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Chassagne in 1914

Germany
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Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a federal parliamentary republic in central-western Europe. It includes 16 constituent states, covers an area of 357,021 square kilometres, with about 82 million inhabitants, Germany is the most populous member state of the European Union. After the United States, it is the second most popular

1.
The Nebra sky disk is dated to c. 1600 BC.

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Flag

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Martin Luther (1483–1546) initiated the Protestant Reformation.

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Foundation of the German Empire in Versailles, 1871. Bismarck is at the center in a white uniform.

Rudolf Caracciola
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Otto Wilhelm Rudolf Caracciola, more commonly Rudolf Caracciola, was a racing driver from Remagen, Germany. He won the European Drivers Championship, the equivalent of the modern Formula One World Championship. He also won the European Hillclimbing Championship three times – twice in sports cars, and once in Grand Prix cars, Caracciola raced for Me

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Caracciola (seated) with his first wife Charlotte at a race in 1931.

Mercedes-Benz SSK
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The Mercedes-Benz SSK is a roadster built by German automobile manufacturer Mercedes-Benz between 1928 and 1932. Its name is an abbreviation of Super Sport Kurz, German for Super Sport Short, the SSKs extreme performance and numerous competitive successes made it one of the most highly regarded sports cars of its era. The SSK was the last car desig

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Mercedes-Benz SSK

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Mercedes-Benz SSK salon

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Streamlined Count Trossi-bodied Mercedes-Benz SSK

Mercedes-Benz
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Mercedes-Benz is a global automobile manufacturer and a division of the German company Daimler AG. The brand is known for vehicles, buses, coaches. The headquarters is in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, the slogan for the brand is the best or nothing and Mercedes-Benz was one of the top growing brands in 2014 with 18% growth. The Mercedes automobile

1.
Karl Benz. Benz made the 1886 Benz Patent Motorwagen, which is widely regarded as the first automobile.

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Mercedes-Benz

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Gottlieb Daimler, Founder of Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft.

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Mercedes-Benz A-Class (compact)

MG M-type
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The MG M-type is a sports car that was produced by the MG Cars from April 1929 to 1932. It was sometimes referred to as the 8/33, early cars were made in the Cowley factory, but from 1930 production had transferred to Abingdon. The M-Type was one of the first genuinely affordable sports cars to be offered by an established manufacturer, the car had

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MG M-type Midget

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M.G. M-type Midget 2-Seater Sports 1929

MG (car)
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Best known for its two-seat open sports cars, MG also produced saloons and coupés. Kimber was an employee of William Morris, MG underwent many changes in ownership starting with Morris merging with Austin in The British Motor Corporation Limited in 1952. MG became the MG Division of BMC in 1967 and so a component of the 1968 merger that created Bri

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MG WA 2.6-litre sports saloon 1939

2.
MG

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The Morris Garage Morris's 1910 building on his site in Longwall Street, Oxford

4.
This article is about the MG marque and its manufacturer pre-2005. For the present day manufacturer of MG cars, see MG Motor.

United States
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Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east, the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U. S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean,

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Native Americans meeting with Europeans, 1764

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Flag

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The signing of the Mayflower Compact, 1620.

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The Declaration of Independence: the Committee of Five presenting their draft to the Second Continental Congress in 1776

Philippe de Rothschild
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Born in Paris, Georges Philippe de Rothschild was the younger son of Baron Henri de Rothschild and Mathilde Sophie Henriette von Weissweiller. At the outbreak of World War I, 12-year-old Philippe was sent to the safety of the vineyard in the village of Pauillac in the Médoc. There, he developed a love of the country and the business, an enterprise

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Bust of Baron Philippe de Rothschild, Chateau Mouton Rothschild

Stutz Motor Company
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The Stutz Motor Company was an American producer of luxury cars based in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. Production began in 1911 and continued until 1935, the brand reappeared in 1968 under the aegis of Stutz Motor Car of America, Inc. and with a newly defined modern retro-look. Although the company is active today, actual sales of factory produced ve

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1915 Stutz White Squadron racer in the Petersen Automotive Museum

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1912 Stutz racer

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1927 Stutz Vertical Eight AA Limousine

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1928 Stutz Blackhawk 5-Litre Indyracer

Bollack Netter and Co
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Bollack, Netter, et Cie, more commonly known as B. N. C. was a small automobile company in Paris situated on Avenue de Paris 39, in the Levallois-Perret district. B. N. C. was established by Lucien Bollack and his financier, banker René Netter, the technical director was Jacques Muller, also known as Jack. Cyclecar formed the basis of their first c

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Bollack, Netter, et Cie (B.N.C.)

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1926 B.N.C. Sports

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Rear view of 1927 B.N.C. 527

Circuit de la Sarthe
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The Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans, also known as Circuit de la Sarthe located in Le Mans, Maine, France, is a semi-permanent race course most famous as the venue for the 24 Hours of Le Mans auto race. The track also includes roads that remain open to the public most of the year. The circuit, in its present configuration, is 13.629 kilometres long,

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The chicane at the Dunlop Bridge.

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Part of the Mulsanne Straight.

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An on site map of the circuit.

Le Mans
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Le Mans is a city in France, on the Sarthe River. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department, Le Mans is a part of the Pays de la Loire region. Its inhabitants are called Manceaux and Mancelles, since 1923, the city has hosted the internationally famous 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance sports car

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Le Palais des Comtes du Maine, birthplace of Henry II of England (now part of the Town Hall and not open to the public)

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Gallo-Roman walls

4.
Organ in the cathedral

Sarthe
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Sarthe is a French department situated in the Grand-Ouest of the country. It is named after the River Sarthe, which flows from east of Le Mans to just north of Angers, in the late 18th century, before it was officially Sarthe, the nobility built their Mansions and Chateaus there, as an escape from Paris. The department was created during the French

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Prefecture building of the Sarthe department, in Le Mans

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The Château de Boisclaireau, residence of the Gueroust family, Counts of Boisclaireau, in Sarthe.

List of female 24 Hours of Le Mans drivers
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This is a list of female motor racing drivers who have entered a 24 Hours of Le Mans race. 57 women have started this race with the most recent being Christina Nielsen, no women competed in 2015, the first year since 2004 to have no female participation. 39 women have finished the race, the best result was achieved by Odette Siko who finished 4th o

Le Mans Prototype
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Le Mans Prototypes were created by the Automobile Club de lOuest. The technical requirements for an LMP include bodywork covering all mechanical elements of the car, while not as fast as open-wheel Formula One cars, LMPs are the fastest closed-wheel racing cars used in circuit racing. Le Mans Prototypes are considered a class above production-based

1.
A group of Le Mans Prototypes competing in the American Le Mans Series